That kick scared even the Little Fox!
She thought she was the one getting pummeled again. Her big tail fur bristled in alarm as she looked up.
Hey! Get a load of this!
It wasn’t her flying through the air!
“Sister, are you okay? Did that jerk grope you or something?”
“Misunderstanding. Calm down.”
“But I saw…!”
Seeing Yun’er so emotionally unsteady, Ye Zhibai hurriedly grabbed her arm and shook her head vigorously.
I know you’re in a foul mood right now.
But this is a matter of life and death!
Put yourself in her shoes—Ye Zhibai figured that if she had taken that kick dead-on, she’d be either dead or crippled!
Because of that, Ye Zhibai didn’t dare waste a single second. She quickly turned her gaze toward the three rows of toppled desks.
Yun’er’s attack power was impressive, no doubt.
But Lin Zihan’s defenses weren’t anything to sneeze at!
In Ye Zhibai’s astonished gaze, the blonde girl—her face twisted in pain—managed a wry smile as she clutched her backside. Staggering to her feet, she propped herself up against the overturned metal desk with stubborn determination.
“Ow, ow, ow! Old wounds not even healed, and now these new ones. Zhiyun… why do you have such a grudge against me? That stick you whacked me with last time still has my back aching, and now this kick? My summer job might get pushed back because of it. Wuwu, better watch out, or I’ll sue you for medical bills! Hiss… that really hurt.”
She could really take a beating! She even had the spare wit to crack jokes!
Standing up was clearly a struggle for her, yet she completely ignored Yun’er’s furious glare. Instead, she bent down with difficulty—looking left and right—and picked up a small object that had fallen to the floor.
It was exactly the vine ring she’d given Ye Zhibai just moments ago.
She clutched the ring as if she’d recovered some priceless treasure, even though it was just a simple vine.
“Hehe… good. It’s not broken.”
Ye Zhiyun was an extremely rational person.
But when it came to her sister, she tossed all reason out the window!
She was already seething with rage, and Lin Zihan’s actions now only made her eyes darken further.
“Lin Zihan… were you in this exam room the whole time during the test, or did you… come here specifically to harass my sister?”
“I’ve been here the whole time~ These three days of exams, I’ve been right by Little Bai’er’s side. Hmm? Zhiyun, didn’t Little Bai’er tell you? We’ve gotten along great these past few days!”
“!”
Could you stop pouring fuel on the fire?!
Ye Zhibai had been holding Yun’er’s wrist the entire time to keep her from lashing out again.
She could clearly feel Yun’er trembling all over with fury!
In a moment like this, Ye Zhibai had to step in and speak up.
She took a step forward, positioning herself between the two of them.
Like a gleaming silver balance scale, she spread her arms wide—no one was allowed to cross the line even an inch.
Then Ye Zhibai turned back to meet Ye Zhiyun’s eyes.
“Yun’er, I told you… calm down.”
“I get the logic… but that sneaky cat confessed to you, Sister! How am I supposed to stay calm? No way… Sister, get out of the way. Today, I have to set her straight. She’s gone too far!”
《Set Her Straight》《Gone Too Far》
Those were two real classics.
If it weren’t for that flying kick of yours, I might actually have believed Lin Zihan was the one going too far!
Still, Ye Zhibai had a bit of common sense.
The gesture of slipping a ring onto someone’s index finger meant a confession of love.
That was why she’d been startled earlier—no wonder Yun’er was so furious.
Seeing Lin Zihan smirking, clearly about to fan the flames some more, Ye Zhibai beat her to it and kept explaining.
“What you see with your eyes… isn’t always the truth.”
“Sister, are you saying that putting the ring on you was just an illusion? No way—that’s impossible. I saw it crystal clear from the window at the back of the classroom!”
Back in our school days, we’d all hated those teachers who peeked through windows to monitor us.
In the end, here we were, turning into the very people we’d despised most.
Tragic.
“I’m not talking about an illusion. What I mean is, that’s not what Lin Zihan intended. She was apologizing to me.”
“You see, I didn’t keep beating her… Huh? Apologizing?”
“Yeah. She wove that vine ring and gave it to me as an apology for calling me mute back when we were kids. Yun’er… you need to calm down. We can’t hold a grudge forever—that’s all in the past.”
“This… but she…”
“I’m totally confessing to Little Bai’er! Hehe, sure, I can’t afford a diamond ring right now, but give it time—there’ll be plenty of chances in the future!”
Would you just shut it already?!
Lin Zihan, Lin Zihan—why are you such a troll? Haven’t you had enough beatings?!
Left with no other choice,
Ye Zhibai could only say one more thing.
If that didn’t work, then let them fight. Let it all burn.
“She’s just trying to rile you up, Yun’er. Read the room, get the facts straight, and judge calmly.”
With that, she was done.
Ye Zhibai had figured Yun’er wouldn’t listen—that she’d probably go all out against Lin Zihan. But to her surprise, after hearing those words, Yun’er’s angry little face gradually softened.
It returned to her usual calm demeanor.
Of course, laced with admiration for her sister’s wisdom and restraint.
“I’ve learned something again, Sister. Even after being treated like that, you can still analyze it so calmly… Yun’er really has a long way to go…”
“To recognize one’s errors and correct them is the highest virtue.”
What kind of “treatment” was that? In the end, it was just a vine!
Guang Yu had quietly slipped off to the side to watch the drama unfold—too bad there were no melons to munch on.
That shameless Ye Zhibai, always putting on her wise-expert act! And somehow, she pulled it off every time!
Now that Ye Zhiyun had regained her calm, she wouldn’t let her sister stand in front of her anymore.
She stepped forward a few paces, placing herself ahead of Ye Zhibai.
Her gaze locked straight onto the enigmatic crimson eyes of Lin Zihan.
Yun’er took a deep breath. This time, she truly began to reason.
“If you’re sincerely apologizing to my sister, then please cut out these kinds of jokes. Emotions aren’t something to toss around lightly for laughs. Lin Zihan, if you truly don’t get that, then do us both a favor and stay away from her.”
“Ah ya ya… Zhiyun, that’s a pretty absolute way to put it. Everyone has their own way of getting by. I make a little joke with Little Bai’er, and suddenly it’s elevated to matters of the heart in your eyes? Sorry, but I know my limits—Little Bai’er couldn’t possibly have any feelings for me~ We’re just ordinary friends! Yeah, ordinary friends.”
Lin Zihan smiled, half-covering her mouth.
But then, abruptly—
Her smile faded.
Her tone grew much more subdued.
“In other words… Ye Zhiyun, isn’t this just your possessiveness talking? Flying the banner of ‘what’s best for Little Bai’er’ to restrict her normal social life. How can you presume to say that I wasn’t just trying to be friends with her in my own way? And yet you kicked everything to pieces—and now you’re smug about it? Aren’t you the one trapping the sister you love most in a cage of your own making?”
Behind Yun’er, Ye Zhibai couldn’t help nervously swallowing.
She kept her cool expression, all the same.
But Ye Zhibai had to admit—Lin Zihan was slick!
After this barrage of pointed words, even Yun’er might crack under the pressure, right?
But no.
Not only did Ye Zhiyun hold firm—
She let out a soft sigh.
And turned around.
As she did, her long black hair swirled dynamically, like spilled ink dancing in the air.
In her deep blue eyes, there was no one but Ye Zhibai.
Carefully, tenderly, Yun’er reached out and lifted Ye Zhibai’s left hand.
She gently stroked the slender, delicate index finger.
The very spot where Lin Zihan had placed the ring moments before.
And now, Yun’er worked diligently to erase every trace of it.
With her back to Lin Zihan, Ye Zhiyun responded to her earlier accusations.
“Possessiveness… isn’t a sin. You said it yourself—everyone has their own way of navigating the world. Well then, sorry, but that’s exactly my way: protecting my sister. Call it possessiveness, call it selfishness—I’ll own it all. However…”
Yun’er half-turned her head, a faint blue glow shimmering in her eyes.
An unspoken dominance radiated from her.
“But… so what?”
Even if I am a cage—so what?
If someone covets the bird inside, knowing full well how sturdy the iron bars are—
How can they blame the cage for being cold?
Besides, I’m no iron cage. And Sister isn’t some caged bird.
Lin Zihan froze for a moment.
But soon, she let out a couple of giggling chuckles.
Followed by unrestrained belly laughs!
“Hahaha! You’re killing me! Ye Zhiyun, you’re exactly the same as when you were little—no change at all! Ha… hiss…”
She laughed until she couldn’t anymore.
That kick had done some real damage after all—she needed a breather.
Ye Zhibai remained as cool as ever. The finger Yun’er held showed no sign of warming up.
But then, the mischievous voice of the melon-munching spectator, Guang Yu, echoed in Ye Zhibai’s mind.
“Hehehe… Ye Zhibai, look at you now! Bet you’re all heart-fluttery, huh?”
“No.”
“Laughing my tail off! Still denying it? I can tell!”
“I’m curious… if you planted a fox in the ground, would it grow a fox carrot?”
“!”
Thump.
For just that instant, perhaps—
Ye Zhibai really did hear the sound of her own heartbeat.
Short-lived, but powerful.
